Udinese are looking to climb to the top of the standings after picking up eight points from first four games, but the Friulani cannot afford to take this game lightly. Bologna are in big problems, having taken just one point so far, but a good result at Friuli could be just the boost they need to turn the season around.

Well rested and confident

Udinese are doing remarkably well this season considering they stayed without three key players in the summer, with Francesco Guidolin once again proving what a great coach he is. Not only did Zebrette win their home games against Fiorentina and Rennes, but they also beat Lecce away, while bringing points from San Siro, Sant’Elia and Celtic Park, proving they are still one of the best counterattacking sides in Italy. Francesco Guidolin has taken a lot of flack for his decision to field a second string line-up in the Europa League clash with Celtic, but everybody at the club will be grateful to him if that results in a comfortable victory over Bologna. Besides bringing one point from Scotland, the coach now has a courtesy of picking from well rested and confident squad, which looks like a perfect scenario. Once struggling to meet the expectations in what should have been easy home games, Udinese have learned how to cope with the favourites tag and I trust them to continue their impressive run against Bologna.

Antonio Di Natale, Gabriel Torje and a host of starters return after being rested against Celtic, leaving Andrea Coda, Damiano Feronetti and Giovanni Pasquale as the only absentees.

Tough times for Bologna

Having shown a great deal of potential last season, Bologna were expected to avoid the relegation struggle this term, but that doesn’t look like happening. It appears that departures of key players Viviano, Della Rocca and Britos have had much bigger effect on the squad than expected, even if the club have signed several decent players in Diamanti, Gillet, Raggi and Kone. As a result, Bologna have picked up just one point from first four league games, having somehow managed to escape Juventus Arena with a 1:1 draw, and fans are already calling for coach Pierpaolo Bisoli’s head. The boss now faces a tough task of picking up the players’ spirits following the home defeat to Inter, but he also has to prepare for the match with high-flying Udinese without several key players. All things considered, Bologna look destined for defeat at Friuli.

First choice keeper Jean-Francois Gillet is out, as are Niccolo Cherubin, Jose Crespo, Saphir Taider, Avaro Cruz and Henry Gimenez. Archimede Morleo misses out through suspension.

Verdict

Udinese are on fire at the moment and after Francesco Guidolin rested all key players against Celtic, the Zebrette are expected to produce a convincing performance at their Friuli. Bologna are not only completely out of confidence but are also without several first team regulars, so I really don’t see how they will avoid defeat in Udine.

Our prediction: Udinese with -1 Asian handicap

Odds: 2.03 (30/29)

Bookmaker: 188BET